BURLINGTON, Ontario – One year after the devastating tsunami, thousands in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka have worked alongside the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) to restore their homes, jobs and communities- and gained a new sense of hope in the process.

CRWRC has been working with tsunami survivors in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka since that day after the wave hit. CRWRC's relatively small size and its "hand-up" rather than handout approach to aid work have proved a strong resource.

"Our size has allowed us to work very closely with local communities and leaders to learn what the local needs are and structure our programs accordingly," says Jacob Kramer, international relief team leader for CRWRC.

"Communities are very much involved in the planning, designing and building of their own houses," states Grace Wiebe, tsunami relief project manager at CRWRC. "It increases the sense of ownership and aids in the healing process."

"The enthusiasm and heightened confidence people are feeling by building their own houses has been truly wonderful," says Kramer, adding that by the tsunami anniversary date CRWRC will have built more than 1,200 temporary and permanent houses for tsunami survivors.

In India, the Dalits – or "untouchables" were most victimized by the great wave. CRWRC built temporary houses for these people and in the process shed some light on the plight of those considered the lowest persons in the Indian caste system.

"Civil society organizations are taking notice of the Dalits," says Kramer. "They are finally starting to come out of the shadows of neglect."

CRWRC has also helped restore work for tsunami survivors by providing nets and boats to fishermen, clearing land and turning it into productive fields of peanuts and chili peppers, restoring shrimp ponds and providing tools of the trade like sewing machines to embroidery businesses and motorcycle cabs to taxi drivers.

To arrange an interview with Grace Wiebe or Jacob Kramer please call Val Henschel at 905-336-2920, x298.

For more information about these programs, please visit http://www.crwrc.org/ or call 1-800-730-3490. CRWRC is a Christian, non-profit organization of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. With a bi-national home office base in Burlington, Ontario and Grand Rapids, MI, CRWRC provides a ministry of development, relief, and justice education to people in need around the world. CRWRC is currently active in 30 countries, and has an international reputation for "helping people help themselves."

The Christian Reformed Church